1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motion detection apparatus which detects a position, a posture, and a movement of an object.
2. Description of the Related Art
A technology in which a sensor is mounted onto a hand of an operator, and a shape and a movement of the hand are detected, and a signal is generated on the basis of detected results thereof has been conventionally known.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,252 proposes a technology in which a plurality of sensors formed by connecting a light source and an optical sensor with a light-guide path are mounted onto the joints of a hand
Further, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-62437 proposes a computer input apparatus, in substitution for a mouse, which detects a movement in a two-dimensional direction of a hand by disposing two acceleration sensors onto the back of a gloved hand, and which detects a flexing movement of the forefinger by disposing one strain gauge onto the joint portion of a forefinger of the hand.
Moreover, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-132305 by the applicant, an operation input apparatus is proposed in which a shape of a hand is estimated from the position/posture of the back of hand and the postures of fingers by disposing a triaxial angular velocity sensor and a triaxial acceleration sensor which detect a position and a posture onto the back of hand and by disposing single axial angular velocity sensors which detect hooking of fingers onto the end portion of the forefinger, the end portion of the middle finger, and the end portion and the central portion of the thumb, and a command signal is generated on the basis of gestures such as a shape and a movement of the hand.
The technology proposed in the aforementioned Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAT Publication No. 2000-132305, i.e., the technology in which a position and a posture of the back of a hand of an operator are detected by inertia sensors including a triaxial angular velocity sensor, and postures of the fingers are detected by unconfined angular velocity sensors at the end portions thereof, and a command signal is generated on the basis of the shape of the hand has flexibility, and can be easily utilized, as compared with technologies in which sensors are disposed at joint portions as the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,252 and the aforementioned Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAT Publication No. 2000-62437, because there is no need to determine the positions of the sensors in consideration of a size of an individual hand.